Hey all, new to the forums. Looking for help with my partial engine rebuild project on my ‘04 350z. This is my first engine rebuild so I’m still learning, and I’ve learned a ton, it’s overall a head gasket replacement project.

tl;dr I’m stuck trying to reinstall the inner timing chain cover. The bolt holes just won’t line up. I tried forcing it on but the bolts cross threaded and broke off, that was a pain.
I ended up buying a new camshaft bracket (that’s where the bolts broke off) and a new inner timing chain cover (long story short, I believe I warped it trying to pry it off).
Now, trying to test fit the new inner timing chain cover it doesn’t look like the bolt holes are lining up.

Long version/detailed history of project:
Tore down engine with a buddy, took videos of everything so I’ll be able to put it back together.
Got the heads resurfaced.
Made a dumb mistake with the ARP head studs, not applying lube to the threads. So after realizing this after installing the heads I had to pull the heads off again and get the mating surface cleaned up/resurfaced again (I used copper gasket spray).
Pulled the head studs out and did it right, got new head gaskets on coated in copper gasket spray.
Camshafts didn’t give me any problems.
Attempted to install inner timing chain cover and noticed bolts would not slot.
Pulled it off again, cleaned up the rtv and pulled the dumbest thing possible. I left it in the freezer overnight hoping the metal would contract and I could install it cold. (I now know this was pretty dumb)
Tried this, but bolt slotting was still tight, forced them in, but two cross threaded and broke off.
Pulled it all off. Ordered a new inner timing chain cover, tried to clean out cross threaded bolt holes.
Said screw it and just bought a new camshaft bracket (the destroyed bolt holes were in the passenger side one)
Just now, installed new camshaft bracket and retorqued all of the other ones. Attempted to test fit the new inner timing chain cover and found the same problem as before.

Any advice offered would be appreciated. Thanks for reading this far.

Here’s a video detailing things:

 

Honestly looks like you took about .020" off the heads and neither left side nor right side is gonna line up. I don't have a solution.

 

Do you think getting new heads would do it? It would be an utter pain to tear down everything again and reinstall it all, but I'm gonna finish this project if it's the last thing I do.

As an update, I called the machine shop I got the heads resurfaced at and they said they barely took a few thousandths off. Saying there's no way that could be the problem.

I've called a few machine shops and these are the possibilities I'm looking at according to them:

• Take the block and the inner cover in to get the bolt holes 'slotted' (I don't like this idea, don't have a cherry picker or a truck with a trailer, and didn't necessarily think the guy I called was too reliable)
• The cover I got was used off ebay, it could have warped from being used, so they recommended getting a brand new one instead. This would be expensive and may not even work.
• Or off what you said, I could try to order new heads and redo it all that way. That would be a total pain as I'd have to buy new head gaskets again and reinstall everything, would probably also be the most expensive as depending on the source I may have to resurface them again.

Man, do I love working on cars.

 

I am just brainstorming here, but when this happens on V block engines, it is typically because somehow the head to deck height changed or the head position moved. Did you make sure that all of the head dowels were correctly located? What head gasket are you using?

Is it possible to push and lift the timing cover a bit and get the left side bolt started and then push it around and get the right side to start?

 

I'm getting the feeling that the heads may have had too much taken off as I had to get them resurfaced twice. The head dowels are definitely correctly placed and they're on ARP so there's no chance of misalignment. And the heads are flush all the way around. I'm using HKS head gaskets.

I tried started bolts on one side and going around pushing it to make them fit but that's how they broke off.

Right now I'm thinking I'll have to get new heads and head gaskets.

 

I would find a way to measure first. If a shop milled so much off just doing a clean up that the heads are no longer usable I would be talking to them about split cost of parts for new heads or something.

Someone here, or maybe the fsm should have the measurements. Check yourself. You should be able to easily measure if they accidentally took .015" instead of .0015".